If you’ve managed to memorise the cast of previous TES games, you’re either a die hard fan or an aspiring voice actor, keen to learn the mystic ways of the sorcerous microphone. The complete lack of notable cast members in previous titles does beg the question: does anyone really know who was behind the mic for some of our fondly remembered digital acquaintances, such as Oblivion’s brash and hugely annoying Adoring Fan, Morrowind’s junkie secret agent Caius Cosades, or of course Adrienne Avenicci, of Whiterun, Skyrim. Have you met her father? He’s the steward up at Dragonsreach.
With the next TES title leaning towards the grand and groundbreaking, being of course the first multiplayer outing for the numerous heroes of Tamriel, such an outing will of course command a more rounded cast, of thankfully, more memorable stars of stage and screen (although we have seen the famous lend their voices to the series before, most notably Patrick Stewart’s prophetic cameo as Emperor Uriel Septim in Oblivion’s beginning dungeon).
We’d also like to add that not including the older, more familiar actors to reprise their memorable roles as the common folk of Tamriel would be seen as incitement to riot to some. Never named, but never forgotten.
That said, the celebrity offerings for this particular excursion lean towards the venerable and the epic, with some actors no stranger to the strange, and believe me, screenshots have made out this incarnation of Tamriel to be one of the strangest yet. First off, portraying the permanent nemesis of every player everywhere, Malcolm McDowell stands in for the voice of Molag Bal, Daedric Prince and general baddie. You may also remember McDowell from Fallout 3, as the digital drone of Enclave President (and computer voice) John Henry Eden.
Next off, possibly typecast, John Cleese is also onboard, set to play a lovable eccentric. No suprises there, he does it awfully well, you may remember him as one of the Monty Python crew, and of course from slapstick comedy Fawlty Towers. He is also featured in many new children’s films as a voice actor.
Other actors include Kate Beckinsale, you will almost certainly remember her from the Underworld film series, back in the day when vampires were a tad more goth and a lot less preppy. The imposing Beckinsale will lend her sultry tones to the Queen of the Aldmeri Dominon, who in Skyrim are better remembered as ‘Nazi Elves’, haters indeed. Another Underworld regular is also on the scene for TES Online, Bill Nighy. One of the more memorable cast of the movie Love Actually and a general smooth talker, Nighy is posted for the part of a ‘merchant prince’.
Following this theme of voice talents that sound English or in fact are English comes the last, and my personal favourite, Michael Gambon, Dumbledore Mark II himself. Also appearing in the gritty crime classic Layer Cake, Gambon’s throaty but cultured tones are lent to the role of a ‘blind prophet’ in the upcomign game, so expect some kind of shouting, of the religious/dogmatic variety.
Oh, and they also have Jennifer Hale. She’s done everything, really. You can find out here. http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Jennifer-Hale/
The Elder Scrolls Online is set to appear this April, emerging for PC, PS4, and the Xbox One. Disc price TBA, monthly subscription is required at around 15 USD per month, with tariffs lowered for consecutive subscribers. Prices demanded by talking mudcrabs may vary.